Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation

Inclusive employment offers advantages for both employers and individuals with intellectual disabilities. However, high unemployment rates persist for people with intellectual disabilities, underscoring the need for alternative approaches. Customized employment (CE) has emerged as a promising strategy by tailoring job opportunities to align with individual strengths and employer requirements.

This review answers the question, “What does the literature say about the use of customized employment practices to facilitate paid employment for people with intellectual disabilities?”

We conducted a scoping review of the literature. Eight databases were searched, including APA PsycInfo, Medline, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, Business Source Ultimate, Social Services Abstracts and Social Science Abstracts.

Fifty-seven articles were deemed relevant to the research question, revealing clear trends and key characteristics of CE. The literature suggests that CE can lead to improved employment outcomes, greater self-determination and independence, and increased employer satisfaction. However, lack of evaluative measures has led to inconsistencies in delivery and quality of support. CE practices may demand more time and higher costs compared to other types of supported employment.

When implemented effectively, CE practices can be a valuable method for supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities in securing inclusive employment.

Centers for Independent Living (CILs) are disability led organizations with broad service offerings for supporting youth with disabilities (YWD) in achieving their postschool goals.

The current study was conducted to investigate state-level trends in the youth transition service delivery of CILs.

This brief report describes our analysis of publicly available CIL administrative data on consumer ages for federal fiscal years 2015 through 2022.

Our findings show that there is a great deal of variation in the percentage of youth CIL consumers served over time both within and across states.

CIL support for transition age youth is continuously evolving across different contexts. Given the importance of interagency collaboration to the positive postschool outcomes of YWD and the potential of CIL service delivery, trends in their services and operations merit the ongoing attention of the field. In this brief report, our results are discussed alongside implications for future research.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act (WIOA) aims to enhance employment outcomes and career advancement for teenagers and young adults with disabilities through pre-employment transition services.

This study assessed the relationship between pre-employment transition services and employment outcomes, focusing on wages, credential attainment, and co-enrollment in partner employment programs.

Researchers analyzed federally required data submitted by states to the Rehabilitation Service Administration (RSA) to examine the impact of pre-employment transition services on wages, considering variations by demographics, lived experiences, and location.

Pre-employment transition services, credential attainment, and co-enrollment in partner employment programs were associated with increased wages. Wage outcomes varied based on demographics, lived experiences, and state-level differences in service delivery.

Findings highlight the importance of pre-employment transition services, connecting youth to postsecondary credential attainment opportunities, and improving collaboration with partner employment programs. Researchers emphasize the use of data to inform service delivery for diverse youth with varying lived experiences.

The importance and necessity of effective collaboration in transition services is undisputed. However, systemic barriers to effective collaboration persist among intended partners in school-to-work transition, to the detriment of student outcomes. Within the context of continual strains on Local Educational Agencies, State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies, Community Rehabilitation Providers, and Centers for Independent Living, a novel approach to meaningful collaboration is necessary.

In this paper, we introduce a model of data-informed collaboration for transition planning and services.

This model is centered on a set of transition assessments (i.e., tools for measuring change over time) that were created to support transition planning and to evaluate and increase the effectiveness of transition services. These measures serve as a shared benchmark of knowledge and skills associated with essential transition services that support shared planning and service delivery.

We outline the model and discuss implications for current practice in transition service delivery.

Data-informed collaboration provides a new and hopeful solution to persistent challenges to transition collaboration.

Autistic young adults have lower participation rates in vocational or technical education and lower employment compared to young adults with other disabilities.

This study examines the characteristics, service use, and employment outcomes of autistic young adults ages 16 to 28 engaged with state Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies.

Regression-based models using 2017–2020 RSA-911 data for young adults ages 16 to 28 who applied for VR services.

A higher share of autistic young adult VR applicants were male or non-Hispanic White compared to young adult VR applicants with an intellectual disability or any other kind of disability. Almost half (49 percent) of all young adults on the autism spectrum who exited VR services were employed, compared to 44 percent of young adults with another kind of disability. Educational institutions were the most common source of referral among autistic young adult VR applicants, followed by self-referrals. There were notable differences in service use and outcomes by age, with fewer differences by sex and race/ethnicity.

The characteristics of autistic young adult VR applicants underscore their need for supportive services and call for research to understand the causes of disparities to develop policy and practice to promote equitable VR access and outcomes.

In this article, the difficulties faced by people with orthopedic disabilities working in public institutions in their working lives are identified and discussed.

This study aims to identify the problems faced by individuals with orthopedic disabilities working in public institutions in their working lives and to offer appropriate solutions to these problems.

In this study, 26 orthopedically disabled individuals working in 17 different public institutions in Erzincan city center in Turkey were included. In the study conducted with qualitative research method, the data were collected with a semi-structured and face-to-face interview form and were created using descriptive analysis method, sub-problems were determined and supported with quotations from the participants.

It has been determined that there are deficiencies and inadequacies in the workplaces of orthopedically disabled individuals working in public institutions regarding physical accessibility, harmony between work and employee, workload, the position they work in, the problems they experience with their colleagues and managers, the employment of disabled people in the public sector and the expectations of disabled people and presented as sub-headings.

In line with the results, suggestions for solving the problems were presented and thus, it was tried to contribute to the studies to be carried out on the subject.

Previous research has demonstrated the relationship between vulnerability and community participation, the correlation between vulnerability and gratitude, and the role of gratitude in enhancing participation. To our knowledge, there have been no studies examining the role of gratitude in the relationship between vulnerability and community participation.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether gratitude moderates the effect of vulnerability on community participation in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Participants were recruited from the National MS Society (N = 373). Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and moderation analysis were carried out.

Findings demonstrated lower scores of vulnerability index were associated with increased community participation. Additionally, higher levels of gratitude were associated with increased community participation. Furthermore, gratitude influenced the effect of vulnerability index on community participation.

Findings supported the importance of gratitude as a viable intervention strategy to help individuals with MS to achieve positive rehabilitation goals such as community participation.

The program “Réalise Tes Rêves” (Make your dreams come true; RtR) was a program of action research aimed at trialing new approaches to address the job seeking needs of people not in employment, education or training (NEETs), and unemployed women in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

This study examines the use of social return on investment (SROI), a social valuation methodology, to examine and capture the broad socio-economic value of the employment program RtR.

Qualitative data was collected from 54 program participants and 21 program staff. The analysis was also informed by program data such as program components engaged in by participants, retention and exit outcomes.

Positive outcomes were identified for the program participants, program staff, and the community. The most important direct outcomes were the increase in personal assets, enhanced career prospects, and health improvements. The SROI ratio was €16.62 for every €1 invested.

This study illustrates the program's tangible and intangible program outcomes by applying SROI methodology and demonstrates the social impact of supporting employment and self-employment for disadvantaged job seekers.

Transitioning to adulthood is a demanding phase for youth and more challenging for youth with disabilities. Many transition interventions have been implemented to support transition preparedness for youth with disabilities. However, it is still unclear how these interventions work under different contexts.

The aim of this realist review is to review the literature on different interventions aimed to support adolescents transitioning to adulthood. The research question was: How (Mechanism) and in what circumstances (Context) transition to adulthood interventions work to improve education, employment, and community integration skills outcomes for youth with disabilities (Outcome)?

This review adhered to the essential steps for realist reviews, employing Context-Mechanism-Outcome Configurations (CMOCs) heuristic tools to formulate realist causal explanations.

Of the 32 documents that met the inclusion criteria, vocational and educational skills were the most frequently reported outcomes. The review found that transition interventions with inclusive real-life environments that cater specifically to the needs of youth without stigmatization are instrumental in empowering youth's self-advocacy, confidence, and self-determination and enabling active participation and engagement.

While this review provides actionable insights, future research should explore the long-term sustainability and scalability of transition interventions.

Vocational rehabilitation is a systematic process aimed at enabling persons with disabilities by providing essential skills and resources to obtain and sustain meaningful work.

This research seeks to provide a concise overview of the vocational rehabilitation system in Bangladesh and evaluate the existing vocational rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities.

This scoping review documented the existing vocational rehabilitation services for people with disabilities in Bangladesh from various electronic databases and policy reports.

Many groups, including government agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and international organizations provide vocational rehabilitation programs for individuals with impairments. These programs aim to empower individuals with disabilities by equipping them with vital skills and information for workforce participation and autonomous life. Nevertheless, numerous organizations offering these services remain deficient in suitable facilities.

Bangladesh is facing multiple challenges in delivering vocational rehabilitation programs for persons with disabilities. The traditional health care delivery system excludes rehabilitation and neglects health policy and vocational rehabilitation. To improve vocational rehabilitation service delivery, the nation should integrate and elevate vocational rehabilitation within the healthcare system.